BajaNomad

Backpacking the Rae Lakes Loop - Sequoia

wilderone - 7-31-2012 at 08:51 AM

Did the Rae Lakes Loop in Sequoia-Kings Canyon over 6 days. A premier 42-mile route, with 7000 ft elev. gain/loss. This one has everything!

Waterfalls:



Lakes:



Streams:





Vistas:





Artifacts:





A variety of trail terrain:









Forest creatures:







Great campsites:





Skipjack Joe - 7-31-2012 at 09:03 AM

Excellent images. They really give you a feeling for what the country is like.

So glad you didn't reduce them in size because that really takes away so much from the impact.

Those Rae Lakes are supposed to have some large trout, from my readings.

bacquito - 7-31-2012 at 11:14 AM

Great, thanks. Beautiful pictures

Cypress - 7-31-2012 at 11:27 AM

wilderone, Thanks! Got some more pics?:biggrin:

wilderone - 7-31-2012 at 07:01 PM

More pics? I've got 168!! I may add more later. People were trout fishing - up to 11" or so, but most fingerlings.

(Thanks Doug for fixing the photos!)

AWESOME...CALI ROCKS FOE SUMMER/FALL

captkw - 7-31-2012 at 07:03 PM

Barry A. - 7-31-2012 at 07:31 PM

Hopefully no bears encountered?????

That is beautiful country, for sure. Great pics.

BArry

bajario - 7-31-2012 at 07:50 PM

Oh Wow! That is some gorgeous scenery. Another item on my bucket list. I vote for more pictures!

Hook - 7-31-2012 at 09:39 PM

This is still the one exotic loop that I've got to do. But the Wind River Range has begun taking on more of my interest.

Did you go in over Kearsarge Pass or from Road's End? I've heard Kearsarge is a tough pass but you do start so high at Onion Valley.

Come on, now, break out the photo of Fin Dome over Dollar Lake!!!

How crowded were the trails? It's pretty heavily used, isnt it?

[Edited on 8-1-2012 by Hook]

BajaBruno - 7-31-2012 at 10:27 PM

That's a tough hike in thin air. I've been all over that park and Rae Lakes is a beauty. Thanks for sharing.

wilderone - 8-1-2012 at 08:09 AM

More photos –
We started at Road’s End trailhead – Cedar Grove. Scored a walk-in clockwise permit (we had a counter clockwise reservation). The difference is doing the 7000 ft. elevation gain up and over Glen Pass over 27 miles rather than 17 miles. If I can do it, you can too.

Dollar Lake – waited out a thunder, lightening, hail, rain storm for about an hour:



Summit day – passing a Rae lake



Onward toward Glen Pass summit. It started to rain a bit, kept the trail cool





The summit is in sight – see the tiny people on the ridge far right:













Skipjack Joe - 8-1-2012 at 09:27 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by wilderone





I also came across one of these birds some years ago during a hike to Lake Eleanor. Here is how it went:

As I walked on the trail I first saw it off to the side below me making it's way to the trail. I stood and watched with interest. Upon reaching the trail it turned and walked upwards towards me. Oh good. I'm going to see it up close, I thought. It reached me and started to circle me while I tried to keep facing it. Finally it darted forward and started pecking at my legs. I kicked forward expecting it to flush off. But no, that seemed to have little effect. It just kept rushing at me. This is ridiculous, I thought. I had the folded rod in my hand and tried to poke it away with the end of it. The bird was unimpressed and kept at it. Finally what worked was a full blown charge at it,down the trail, yelling at the top of my lungs.

What got into him, I later wondered.

BTW. In British Columbia my friend walked up and caught one with his fishing net. They're not too smart up there.

Hook - 8-2-2012 at 07:33 PM

You mean to tell me, those people on that hog's back are on the trail????!!!!!

I assume that's a sage grouse, no?

wilderone - 8-3-2012 at 09:52 AM

Yes, the summit ridge was very narrow and rocky - pretty treacherous really - especially if a wind was blowing or if there would be any snow. I didn't know what the bird was - first time I've seen one of those.

I didn't think the trail crowded at all, nor were the campsites that everyone tends to use because they have bear vaults. Plenty of room. We never had other hikers in sight on the trail - only passed by and were gone. The one thing I didn't like is that the trail is used by pack horses to bring supplies to PCT through-hikers. Also, there was a large NOLS group of Japanese clients - about 15 of them. Following them was about 20 pack horses with their supplies. The pack horse companies "maintain" the trail and think they're doing hikers a big service. But, they maintain the trail to a horse's standard, not a hiker's (AND facilitate their business for profit). i.e., the steps they create, partly for erosion control and partly for traverse in steep or wet sections, are sometimes 20" high - all of them were at least 12"-14" high. Those stair-steps quickly debilitate knees and thighs with the unnatural tread height. And collectively, there were literally miles of stair-stepping.

RnR - 8-3-2012 at 03:04 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by wilderone
Yes, the summit ridge was very narrow and rocky - pretty treacherous really - especially if a wind was blowing or if there would be any snow. I didn't know what the bird was - first time I've seen one of those.

I didn't think the trail crowded at all, nor were the campsites that everyone tends to use because they have bear vaults. Plenty of room. We never had other hikers in sight on the trail - only passed by and were gone. The one thing I didn't like is that the trail is used by pack horses to bring supplies to PCT through-hikers. Also, there was a large NOLS group of Japanese clients - about 15 of them. Following them was about 20 pack horses with their supplies. The pack horse companies "maintain" the trail and think they're doing hikers a big service. But, they maintain the trail to a horse's standard, not a hiker's (AND facilitate their business for profit). i.e., the steps they create, partly for erosion control and partly for traverse in steep or wet sections, are sometimes 20" high - all of them were at least 12"-14" high. Those stair-steps quickly debilitate knees and thighs with the unnatural tread height. And collectively, there were literally miles of stair-stepping.


You forgot to mention the miles of organic horse droppings and the flies......

Skipjack Joe - 8-3-2012 at 11:41 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Hook
You mean to tell me, those people on that hog's back are on the trail????!!!!!

I assume that's a sage grouse, no?


It is a grouse but not a sage grouse. Sage grouse are found in the Great Basin desert not in the high sierras.

Can't remember it's name but will look it up at a later date.

Skipjack Joe - 8-4-2012 at 09:10 AM

It's a sooty grouse, Dendragapus fuliginosus . My old peterson guide still lists it as a blue grouse, a species that was split into 2 after they started doing dna analsis.

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Sooty_Grouse/id

woody with a view - 8-4-2012 at 09:41 AM

12-14" risers or treads? i understand tall risers as you only need to cut one as a normal riser is around 6-7". my guess is they wouldn't prevent you from volunteering to cut some new rock stairs on another part of the trail!:lol: